Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Sands of Destiny
by vp21ct
Summary: A handwaved AU/though experiment. Azula tries to tamper with the past and destiny, but will find that History is rather resistant to being tampered with. Rated for some themes and language, may change later. sort of written as it pops in my head.
1. Prologue

The doors bucked from another blow as the few Firebenders loyal to Azula were thrown to the ground from the force of the impact. As they tried to rise, the doors were blasted from their hinges and the Avatar and his party rushed in, along with her traitorous uncle and usurping brother.

The former Fire Nation princess remained seated in the middle of the glowing circle, confidant that they would not cross the inscriptions and talismans that she had placed, for fear of what might happen if they were to interrupt her.

Instead, her uncle called out to her, desperation clear as ice in his voice. "Don't do this, Azula. Fate does not take kindly to being meddled with, and to do so can have unforeseen consequences. The changes that are made will not be the ones you want."

"I. WILL. Win. Uncle. You can't stop me now. The fire nation, the WORLD will be MINE. All of this won't even Exist in history. Don't worry, you won't even notice the difference." She began to cackle as the characters around her began to burn and lift into the air on a torrent of wind.

"Azula, I'm begging you, do not do this. Once these events are set in motion, they CANNOT be reversed. This can only end badly for you." His voice was full of concern, for his niece, and for the damage that she was about to unleash.

Azula snarled as she mistook the concern as selfish in nature, and snapped back at him through the growing flames. "You mean it can only end badly for YOU!! I will FINALLY atain my VICTORY!!!!"

Azula raised her arms above her head, the fires lifting with them. Everyone backed away from the raging blaze at it climbed to the top of the underground library, punching through to the sands, and even further until it reached the surface.

The exiled princess could feel the heat. It scorched her robes and she could see it begin to consume her remaining soldiers. As the fire began to singe her own flesh, the sand poured down, into the fire, only to somehow fuel it more. The flames flashed once, then again. As the sand began to fall freely, Azula let out a cry of pain.

"AZULA!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Iroh called out as everything was consumed in white fire…

********

Azula's eyes shot open as she woke from the nightmare. She sat up slowly, panting and sweating. Slowly, she calmed herself, looking around to get her bearings. She was in a dark, metal room. The accommodations were incredibly Spartan, with just the bed, a desk, and a small shrine where some incense was just starting to burn out. She swung her feet out off of the bed and placed them on the cold floor. _Where am I?_ she wondered for a moment.

The sounds of sailors cussing and a weakly thrumming steam engine brought the reality back to her. _Right, I'm on the same worthless, insignificant ship I've been on for the past two years._ There was a loud knocking on her door. As it opened, her Uncle Iroh poked his head in.

"Are you alright, Azula? I heard you scream." He asked innocently. Azula snorted at the foolish sentiment, but then sighed as the old man's concerned gaze persisted.

"It was just a nightmare, Uncle. Nothing to worry about. I'm sure it was just something I ate yesterday." Her stomach growled in betrayal to her. "Or rather a lack of something to eat."

The old man shook his head in disapproval. "I told you we needed more supplies before we set off this far south. Even if we keep rationing the way we have, we will have to turn back before the week is out if we hope to reach civilization before we all die of starvation, to say nothing of getting that far before our food runs out."

Azula stood, eye's filled with rage "I KNOW!" she shouted, the incense bursting into a million sparks with the emotional overflow. She sat back down and hung her head in futility. "I know." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She stood up again, reaching for her clothes and armor at the foot of her bead. "How far is it until we reach the waters of the Southern Water Tribe."

"We entered them a few minutes ago, I was on my way down to inform you when I heard your distress." Iroh responded. The old man started to leave to give his niece some privacy, but stopped at the door. "Was it about the fight with your brother?" he asked.

Azula stared blankly at her hand as she wrapped it in the protective linen cloth. She flexed the fingers, taking a small amount of pride in the strength that was slowly returning to them after two years of uselessness. "Yes."


	2. Chapter 1

Azula breathed in, then out. She set her stance slowly, making certain that she was solid. She began the strikes slowly, not even unleashing any fire until she was certain that she had them down. Her uncle Iroh watched from the side with the stern gaze of an experienced teacher as she went through the form slowly taking her time with the movements. She finished it with a strong blow toward the bow of the ship, then settled back into the starting position.

"Very good Azula, now, begin it in earnest." Iroh said.

The young princess launched into a flurry of movement. Red fire jetted out from her every attack. Every punch was strong, every kick was well balanced, her breathing was impeccable. At only a few spots did she favor her right hand, cutting back on the power. Soon she was nearing the end of the set.

"Very good, you are truly a prodigy, Azula. Were it not for your injuries, you would have surpassed your brother long ago." Iroh said in approval.

Seething rage boiled to the top, and as Azula prepaired for the final strike, she threw everything she had into the blow. Ice blue fire jetted out over the ship, reaching all the way past the bow and over the water. Pain surged up Azula's bandaged arm, and she fell to the deck, grunting in pain.

Iroh shook his head in consternation. "But you must learn not to let your anger control you, and to not over exert yourself. It took you half a year to get that arm to where you could eat with it, but one bad move could end all that hard work." He said as he walked up to her, pulling out a jar of salve as he did.

Azula unbandaged her hand and let her uncle apply the salve. "That was a dirty trick, old man." She said spitefully as she winced from the pain.

"Dirty tricks are often the key to victory, not brute force. Remember that. If you rely on brute force, someone who _doesn't_ will defeat you. Always be in control, always expect some trick." He said as he finished applying the salve. He wrapped her arm again, being careful not to do it too loosely or too tightly. When that was done, he reached his hand down to help his niece up. "What do you say we get in out of the cold and drink some hot tea, hmm?"

She batted the hand away and stood on her own. "I'll accept the tea, but I'd rather stay out here and keep an eye out. You never know if there might be some sign of the Avata-"

As if to punctuate the meaning of her words, a bright pillar of light shot up from the horizon and into the sky. The two Firebenders watched in awe as the clouds parted before the power of the light. As fast as it had appeared, it was gone, the sky returned to normal, the clouds moving back the way they were as if nothing happened.

Azula turned toward the bridge tower of the ship. "Do you have a bearing on that light!?" She shouted up to the helmsman.

"Yes, princess." He spouted off a number.

"Set that as our course, we're going to find out what caused that." She turned to Iroh. "Uncle, I want you and Ty Lee to meet me in my quarters. The captain to, bring as much information on the area as you can find. Azula quickly set off down the stairs below decks.

*****

"There's a small Watertribe village south east of here." The captain said, pointing to it on the map. "They aren't very well defended, and I doubt that the Avatar is there." He said, rubbing his chin.

"Why not?" Azula asked impatiently.

"Well, for starters, the light didn't come from there, it came from a more southerly direction, though they may have had some contact with him judging on the proximity." He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "And secondly, the last report we had of the area said that it was devoid of all Waterbenders. Not a one in the village."

"How do we know that?" Azula's handmaiden, Ty Lee, asked.

"Because the southern raiders passed through here 6 years ago on one of their purges."

Azula nodded, Iroh and Ty Lee simply looked on in a bit of a shock. "Are there any other important land marks in the area?" Azula asked.

"Well, there's a derelict fire nation ship, scout class, not far from here, just west of the village." He pointed on the map again. The ice looked thick there, but it was approachable.

"Do we know if it was booby trapped?" Azula asked the question, despite knowing the answer.

"Yes."

She sat there for a moment, the wheels in her mind turning, the pieces all trying to find a place that fit. She looked to the place marking the village on the map, then to the derelict ship, trying to judge the distance. _There close, but not within visual range of each other. If we go in on bending power only, we can set up a watch on the derelict at a distance, and have scouts check around the village for signs._

Finally she sat up, laying out her plan. Everyone nodded approvingly. Ty Lee and the Captain's eyes filled with admiration, Iroh's eyes filled with pride and approval. _I'll catch him._ Azula thought, _If he's here, I'll catch him._

_*********_

_A/N- Sorry for the short chapter, hopping things will ramp up as the story progresses. As I'm certain most of you have guessed, this is a Zuko/Azula flip fick. The Idea just popped in my head on what would change in the story if they were switched. I gotta say, in order to do it without enirely changing some characters (within the existing change, obviously Azula and Zuko will be much different, as will a few of the characters centered arround them) required a bit of a Backstory tweek, so Azula's backstory is NOT EXACTLY Zuko's backstory, they are quite different, and it will be revieled at similar moments to Zuko's. In General, the plot will Parellel the original plot of the series. I will be doing my best to keep up Azula's characterization as an in genaral cold thinking genious._

_Concerning the opening. That was actually a continuation from a story that I hadn't posted up because *coughitwasshitcough* but had lead to this idea. I may post the other story up after I refine it a little better. In short, how ever, Azula escaped and made a gathered a small army of rogue firebenders, fights a small little war, then goes to the Wan Shi Tong library to find a way to change history so she won in the first place. These are the effects of that. That story may or may not be revisited in this one, my idea on the spell she cast was that it would be more like a wish than a time machine, but we will see._

_In any case, hope you enjoy.  
_


	3. Chapter 2

Azula rubbed her hand impatiently while she waited in her cabin for any news. It had been a few hours since scouts had made contact with the village. Reports were that it was small, virtually defensless unless the Avatar was there.

_If he is, it could possibly be harder to crack than Ba Sing Se._

She started when there was a knock on her door. She sighed as she sat up, "Come in." The door cracked open and Ty Lee slipped in. They had been the best of friends since either could remember, and Ty Lee had left with the princess when she had been sent into exile. Azula couldn't count the number of times that Ty Lee's presence had helped keep her sane, especially on a ship full of smelly old sailors.

"You didn't come out for lunch, are you feeling Ok." The girl asked meekly.

Azula laid back on the bed, bringing her bandaged hand up to her face. She examined it for a moment before responding. "I'm so close, I can feel it. He's here. I'm certain of it."

Ty Lee walked up to the bed and sat on the corner. She took Azula's hand and held in tightly. She looked into her friends eyes with concern. "Azula, what do you think capturing the Avatar will accomplish. Do you think your father will welcome you back, make you his heir."

"It's likely." Azula said, staring up at the ceiling, her face blank of emotion.

"And what if he does. It wouldn't last long, and you know it. You'd be on his good side for a month, maybe two, and then he'd star to think about-"

"I'll think of something by then." Azula interjected. Her face was strained with determination as she thought about it. _I'll think of something, secure my power base. Make it harder for him to take me down._ Ty Lee reached out and stroked some hair out of Azula's face, then gave a strained smile. The princess looked at her friend in surprise.

"I worry about you Azula. Sometimes I feel like you're obsessed with this, with gaining power." Ty Lee said.

Azula returned her gaze to the ceiling. "Maybe. But without power, who am I. Just another firebender. One of hundreds. When I should be leading them. It's my blood-right. It's owed to me, and yet my brother stole it away, and all my father did was watch."

The other girl only sighed. Azula felt a tinge of amusement, a smirk quirking her lips. Ty Lee also smiled, and then let out a giggle. Soon the both of them were laughing. It wasn't the first time they had had this conversation, most of the time it ended like this.

"Where would I be without you, Ty Lee." Azula said as she sat up to hug her friend.

There was a knock on the door. Both girls let out a groan at having the moment spoiled. "Yes, what is it." Azula said as she got up off the bed. The door opened and a Fire Nation soldier stepped in and gave a salute.

"It's the derelict, there's been activity."

******

The small orange figure leapt from the command tower and down to the deck, and from there to the ice. Azula was astonished at the feat of agility and bending. There was no mistaking it, this person was an airbender. This person was the Avatar.

"He appears to be incredibly agile for a 100 plus year old man." Azula said as she lowered the spying scope. "Capturing him may not be easy."

"Not all old people are fat and lazy like me." Iroh joked.

Azula let out a strained smile. She had found the Avatar, now came the hard part. She turned to the captain. "I want a real coal fire under our decks as soon as possible. There's no way we'll be able to take that village by surprise in a ship this big, or if we were to traverse the ice. In any case, we may be able to gain some sort of fear facter if conditions are right."

She turned to her Uncle next. "Get the men ready. Inform them of everything you know about Airbenders. Tactics, techniques, capabilities. I want them to know what they wear to bed if you know it. You're a wealth of archaic information Uncle, we may need that."

Finally, she turned to Ty Lee. "Get my battle-dress and meet me in the room."

She smiled as everyone went to their tasks. Her victory was at hand.

*****

Fog had settled over the ship. Everything was eerily quiet aside from the mechanical beating of the ships engine. Azula and her Firebenders were below decks, at the landing ramp, ready to meet whatever would be on the other side when it finally went down.

The lurched as it struck ice, then shook as it powered through the ice toward the wall of the village. The ship rumbled around them as if they were in some great big beast. Finally, the trembling stopped with one last great lurch, signaling that they had slammed into the wall.

Azula put on her helmet as the ramp began to hiss with steam. It lifted and fell, revealing the water tribe village. Against her expectation, it seemed that the Avatar wasn't there. _Probably hiding_. She thought.

She and her Firebenders started down the ramp. A young boy ran up to them, he was either the villages lone warrior or the local idiot. _Probably Idiot_. Azula thought as she kicked his weapon out of his hands and then kicked him into the snow.

"I'll give you all one chance, tell me where the Avatar is, an no one will get hurt." Azula demanded as she reached the edge of the ramp and stalked up to the line of peasant villagers that had gathered.

Everyone of them looked upon her with nothing but fear in their eyes. Some of them tried to speak, but couldn't. Azula nodded to one of her men, and he quickly turned and set fire to one of the tents. As it burned down, a few of the villager's began to cry. She noted that no one ran out of it screaming. _Good, the less bloodshed there is, the better_.

"Now, I'll ask again. Where is the Avatar?" She stepped forward and grabbed an old woman from the crowd. "He should be around this age, most likely older. A master of all four elements. A monk."

She heard a raging shout from behind her. Azula turned as the fool ran toward her again. She blocked the attack with ease and lifted the idiot over herself. The young man tumbled into the snow, but quickly recovered, going into a fighting stance.

_Maybe he isn't such a fool after all._ The warrior drew a weapon and threw it. Azula dodged it with ease as it curved past her head. She then saw that the warrior was all out of weapons. _Or not_.

A child came out from the croud and threw a weapon to him. "Show no fear." The young boy shouted. The warrior grabbed the spear and ran forward, point held first. Azula deflected the blow with her right hand, then broke the tip with her left. She grabbed the broken shaft and poked the young man in the head with the end of the weapon until he let go. With a satisfied smile, she snapped the remains in two and tossed them to the ground.

The warrior looked up at her with fear filled eyes. _Hmm…_ she thought, _he's kindof cute when he's terrified. Maybe I'll take him prisoner._ Suddenly, she heard a whiring sound and was struck in the head. The thrown weapon came back to the warrior, and he grabbed it.

Azula balled her fists in rage, and the bandages on her right hand began to burn off. She brought it up to blast when she heard something coming in behind her. Her legs were swept out from underneath her and her helmet went flying as something sped between her legs. Azula was quick to catch herself, letting out a grunt as her right hand carried all of her weight for just a moment. Then she flipped and landed in a fighting stance.

Infront of her stood a boy, not even a young man, in orange robes. His head was bald and he had an arrow tattoo. "I wont let you hurt these people!" He shouted.

"Then bring me the Avatar and we'll leave."

The boy looked at her in surprise, then relaxed into a casual stance. "If I go with you, will you leave these people alone."

For a moment, Azula didn't know what he was talking about. But then his meaning became clear to her. HE_ is the Avatar? But he is merely a child._ She thought incredulously. _So are you_. She answered herself. She relaxed her stance, then nodded. She motioned for her men to take the boys staff, then bind him. Wisely, he didn't resist.

A few of the villagers offered words to the departing Air Nomad. She led the boy onto her ship.

*******

"I've been looking for you for a long time." Azula said to the Avatar. "You were said to be a master of all four elements, the most powerful bender in the world. But now I see that you are only a little boy, who is now my prisoner." She took the staff. "This will make a fine gift for father. Guards, take him to the brig. Ty Lee, please put this in my quarters.

Azula watched as the guards led the boy below decks, then went into the control tower and started walking up to the bridge. The moment she got there, she heard a cry from the deck.

"The Avatar has escaped!!!"

_Incompetent _idiots_. _Azula thought. She turned and ran down the steps and toward her quarters. She knew he would go for his staff.

She got there as Ty Lee was leaving. Azula grabbed her friend and pulled her back into the room, hiding behind the door. It wasn't long before the Avatar entered the room.

Ty Lee closed the door and Azula opened up with a volley of fireballs. The young boy dodged the first attack, and the second, running for the corner. Azula smiled as he panted heavily,his face a mask of fear.

She attacked again, and again he dodged around the room. Ty Lee quickly moved in as well, the two girls forming a tag team offense against the young boy. He moved in close, dodging each of Azula and Ty Lee's attacks. It was bewildering how fast he was.

He rolled between them, dodging a blast of fire and ducking behind a fire nation banner. He took it off the wall and ran towards and around them, wrapping them close in it. Azula and Ty Lee were pressed together face to face. _This is embarrassing_, she thought for a moment before burning through the banner. They both saw the Avatar holding his stance in a fighting position.

Before either girl could strike, the Avatar swept up the bed on a cushion of air, smashing both girls against the wall, then up against the ceiling. They came down onto the mattress in a tangled wreck. By the time they had recovered and untangled from each other, the Avatar had escaped.

Azula got up to pursue him, Ty Lee close behind.

Followed him to the bridge, arriving just in time to see him leap from the balcony and open his staff into a fan like glider. Ty Lee ran past Azula and leapt after him, crossing what seemed like an impossible amount of space before latching onto his leg. Both Airbender and young woman tumbled to the deck.

"Ty Lee!!" Azula shouted as they struck. She turned and ran down the stairs, hopping to get there in time to help. _Is she alright, she hit pretty hard,_ Azula thought in a panic.

She reached a porthole and quickly glanced through it. Ty Lee was allright and in battle with the avatar. _She's ok._ She breathed a sigh of relief, then resumed her run down the stairs. She found herself leaping the last few as her uncle appeared beside her and they ran out onto the open deck.

Ty Lee and some of the Firebenders were frozen in place, and the Avatar was getting away on some kind of flying beast. Rage boiled up in Azula's veins. "Shoot them down!" she cried.

She and her uncle spun, and threw their arms into the air, flame pouring fourth into a massive fireball.

The blast shot up toward the Avatar. Somehow, he managed to deflect it into the side of the glacier, and ice fell down onto the ship.

Azula glared up in anger at the departing creature. Her mind quickly turned to other things, however, and she ran to her trapped friend. "I'll handle this one, go help another." She said to the firebender attempting to thaw Ty Lee out.

It wasn't long before the girl was freed and shivering in Azula's arms. "You ok." The princess said quietly.

"Yeah, just cold." Ty Lee answered. She looked at her friend in apprehension. "Don't underestimate him Azula, he's powerful. Very Powerful."

"It's ok, get in, get warm, get some rest." Azula said. As the medic lead her friend in, the princess set her expression into one of determination. _I wont underestimate him again, count on it._

_A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys. This one took a long time, and is pretty long itself. Over an episodes worth of story, so it is quite a bit. That said, it felt a little rushed near the end, so comments and crit. Is appreciated._

_And yes, there will be some elements of Tyzula in this piece. I like Tyzula, it makes sense to me. But have no fear, I'll try and make it organic. I'll be explaining why Ty Lee is with Azula on the ship in later chapters as well._

_And if anyone starts to feel that I'm messing up Azula's Characterization too much than what the story and situation merit, thatn please _please_ tell me and help me work It out. She's a hard character too wright and I appreciate all the help I can get._

_Once again, comments are welcome, they fuel my Muse._


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry to have been gone for such a long time, but I've been a little busy. I know that the ending of the last chapter was kind of sucky, and I've gone over it several times. Truth is, I can't figure out how to improve it in any substantial way. The original fight in the series itself had way to many location transitions for too short a time period and was in general rushed (weird for a fight that took up a good third of the episode, I know, but it just didn't blend well). So I'm abandoning my work on revising that chapter until I have a breakthrough._

_That finished, I would like to ask you guys your opinion on a matter concerning the focus of the story. My intention at the beginning was to have it for the most part exclusively follow Azula and those immediately around her, however, I realize that this can severely limit me in terms of story telling. So, I've decided that, as the story progreses, I'll have more breaks to the Gaang. The question I have for you is how frequent you think these breaks should be. Obviously the more indepth ones will be longer, but do you want to really see the Gaangs reaction to the change or keep the focus on Azula._

_Gratuitous cues_

*Avatar Opening*

Previously on Sands of Destiny:

"It was just a nightmare, Uncle. Nothing to worry about."

"Was it about your Brother?"

*quietly*"Yes."

. . .

"Very good, you are truly a prodigy, Azula. Were it not for your injuries, you would have surpassed your brother long ago. But you must learn not to let your anger control you, and to not over exert yourself. It took you half a year to get that arm to where you could eat with it, but one bad move could end all that hard work."

. . .

"I worry about you, Azula. Sometime's I feel like your obsessed with gaining power."

"Maybe. But without power, who am I?"

* * *

The Firenation scout ship limped into harbor amid its giant cousins. The damage that had racked the bow was terrible. It had been crumpled over and damaged beyond the point capable of repairing at sea. Unfortunately, the only harbor capable of repairing such damage was this one, at the tip of the earth kingdom, under the command of Captain Zhao.

Azula knew Zhao. He had been a childhood friend of the Firelord, but only in the last 5 years had he been able to finish his study at the Firenation war academy. He was precisely the reason that the current situation was so unfortunate. Azula knew him, he knew Azula. And like anyone close to her father, they hated eachother.

As the ship pulled up to the dock, the ramp let out a terrible scream and lowered to the metal plating. The entire crew and all the dock hands winced at the sound. Azula sighed, the repairs were likely going to be a while, even with Firebender metallurgy.

Azula dismissed the captain of the ship to arrange repairs as she walked down the ramp with her Uncle and Ty Lee. As she had expected, Zhao was waiting for her.

"Captain Zhao, a pleasure to see you could come out to great us on such short notice." Azula said in as cordial a tone she could muster.

"It's _Commander_, now." Zhao answered, the contempt he let through showing that he felt in no way obligated to return Azula's politeness.

"Then I suppose congratulations are in order." Azula replied immediately, letting her façade slip only a little.

"Yes well. I'm sure you didn't drop in just to congratulate me on my new promotion. The last I heard you had enough supplies to be out for months, and that was merely a few weeks ago. Has there been trouble." Zhao continued as he paced past the princess and her entourage.

"Actually yes. We ran into an Earthkingdom ship. It caused significant damage to my vessel." Azula said, gesturing her hand to the mangled bow of her vessel. "We came in for repairs."

Zhao frowned. The three exiles eyed him cautiously, like one would eye a snake.

"An Earth Kingdom ship? But you came in from the south, there are no Earth Kingdom ships in that direction." He said at length, returning their gaze.

"We believe it was a courier vessel carrying Watertribe warriors and messages from those that weren't returning. We're fortunate that's all it was, or we wouldn't have been able to sink it." Azula answered smoothly.

"Well. It's good to see you got through that unharmed, and bloodied our enemies noses while you were at it." Zhao said with ease. "It may be some time before your ship is repaired, but I'll make it a priority. In the meantime, who would like some tea?"

Iroh and Ty Lee grew much more cheerful at the mention of their favorite drink. Azula merely nodded and followed in behind the others.

* * *

Azula sat patiently in the Commander's quest room. She had barely drunk any of her tea and it had started to chill. Iroh and Ty Lee on the other hand were on their second cup. Zhao had had important business to take care of, so he had left them there.

Azula eyed the guards in the room, taking in their number and composition. There were 5 of them, all firebenders. "He's keeping us prisoner here." Azula said quietly to her companions, keeping her voice just low enough to sound conversational but too quiet to hear clearly.

"What makes you say that?" Ty Lee asked cheerily, taking another sip of her tea.

"The guards, there's too many of them n this room, and all firebenders. Do we really need that kindof protection."

Iroh let out a laugh, grabbing hold of his belly. "She's right, you know. It does seem a bit much."

"Well, I for one think it's just fine. It's not causing any problems, right?" Ty Lee said with a pout.

"Not yet, but I think it means that Zhao expects trouble, and wants to make sure we don't get away." Azula leaned back and took a sip of her tea. "And you know how much I hate surprises, Ty Lee." She said in a loader tone.

As if it were a cue, the door opened and Zhao stepped in. His guards filling into the room and taking positions like the ones already in. "My sincerest apologies, you know how it can be. Sometimes it seems like none of my men can polish their armor unless I personally instruct them how." He looked directly into Azula's glaring eyes. "But enough about my problems. How goes your search for the Avatar. Find any leads."

"We may have. A bolt of light shooting through the sky." She notted his incredulas look. "It's the best lead we've gotten for some time. We traced it to a water tribe village, and they said that an old monk had been there. He must have somehow knew we were coming and left. I hope to trace him into the Earth Kingdom."

The Firenavy commander gave her a stern look. "Rumors and stories are hardly anything to go by."

"Unless of course, their all you _can_ go by."

The door opened again, and a young lieutenant stepped in. "Well, we shall see about that." Zhao said as he turned toward the officer. "Well?"

"We interrogated the crew, as per your orders. They confirm, they did have contact with the Avatar."

Zhao's face became a mask of barely controlled rage. He turned to Azula, and asked. "Tell me, again, how your ship became damaged so."

Azula ignored him, merely grabbing her teacup and taking a sip. She did so leisurly, taking a perverse pleasure in the anger on the Commander's face.

He stalked up to her and swatted the cup out of her hands. It crashed into the wall and shattered. "ANSWER ME!!!" He shouted into her face.

Azula's eyes flicked back and forth, scanning his features. Finally, she responded. "I was drinking… that."

If it were possible, Zhao's face would have conveyed even more rage than it did then. The nerve of it nearly made him strike her right there, where she sat. The look her uncle gave him however, stopped him from doing just that. An Idea snaked it's way into his mind. He turned and started out the door. "Your ship may be in need of an overhawl, all that time out at sea with such poor maintenance. Could take all week."

Azula lost her cool for a moment and stood abruptly. "You can't DO THAT!!!" She shouted after him.

Zhao wiped the smile from his face as he turned toward her. "I can, and I will continue the search for the avatar while you're here." He smirked. "Besides, I'm really just helping you, Azula. It's obvious that you're no match for the Avatar. At his maximum potential, he is a physical god. For too much too handle for a little girl."

Azula's eyes took on a steely glare. "This _little girl_ could easily best you in any match you could muster, on the battlefield or one on one. And She's more than a match for the Avatar."

Zhao returned the look. "Is that a _challenge_."

"Before dusk, as the sun sets. The traditional arena." Azula smirked. "Unless, of coarse, you're afraid of a little gir."

Zhoa's anger bled through again, "Oh no, I'll be there. And I'll be certain to teach you the _respect_ you should have learned from your LAST _Agni-Kai_." With that, the Firenation officer turned and stalked out of the room.

Iroh and Ty Lee, bystanders and spectators to the exchange, now showed their concern.

"Was that really necessary, Azula. Do you remember the _last _time you dueled a master." Iroh said with anxiety.

Azula merely clenched her right hand into a fist. "I'll always's remember" She said as smoke began to waft from the bandages.

* * *

_A/N II: Sorry for the Cliffhanger, but It felt like a good place to stop. Hope you enjoyed, please review. Feel free to N.I.T.P.I.C.K._


	5. Chapter 4

It was only an hour until the appointed time. Azula sat quietly in meditation within her personal quarters. She had asked that nobody enter, not even Ty Lee or Iroh. She needed no distractions for this, the mental preparation before doing battle.

When she had made her challenge, she had held an air of confidence, of control. But inside, she was fear and anger. Her mind was filled with the thoughts of what might happen, how she might lose, her last fight.

She began her rhythmic breathing. Deeply in, then out. In, out. The candles around her flared brighter with each inhale, eventually growing so much that they were all one flame. Azula kept them in control, careful not to burn the other surroundings. It was difficult work that required only the sharpest focus, making it excellent meditation for a firebender.

She held it that way for some time, at least five minutes. Beads of sweat began to grow on her brow, and her control began to falter. She held it up until she couldn't any longer, and the flames dropped down into normal candles.

She she opened her eyes and found herself drenched in sweat and panting. With her mind free, it drifted to year's ago.

* * *

Azula stood uneasily in the arena. Though she was a talented firebender, her training had fallen behind with her father's neglect of her. Worry spread over the once proud and confident princess' face, an expression that had been growing more and more familiar there.

Across from her, her brother was anything but worried. His face showed no emosion except rage. Everything about his stance told Azula that he was ready for this fight, and that he wouldn't hold anything back. Azula had never seen her brother like this. It was beyond her comprehension. Before he had been joyous, if a bit of a naïve buffoon. After their mother left he had been melancholy and destitute. But here, as a few days ago, was a side to her brother that inspired both fear and awe in the Firenation princess.

Their father, Ozai, called out for the match to begin. Azula hesitated, Zuko didn't. His first blast came in fast, Azula only just managed to deflect it, the fire licking at her face. But with that attack, the spell was broken and she launched into a furious rebuke.

Red hot fireballs leaped forth from her hands as she punched them into the air. Her brother deflected them easily, not even moving his footing. He returned with a Kick and a punch.

Azula dodged them, rather than deflecting them, and began to circle her brother, unleashing her own attacks in answer. As they turned around one another, tongues of fire criss crossed the arena, the entire thing settling into the ritual dance that the battles had represented in a distant time.

Slowly, the siblings grew closer, their attacks more ferocious. Zuko batted aside a blast with his right arm. He brought his left hand up and let loose a furious and barely controlled blast, directly for his sister.

Azula's instinct kicked in automatically. She caught the flame as it came in at her, deflecting most of it and sending it away. She took what was left and spun with it, taking the moment to gain control over the flame. She caught Zuko bringing up his right hand for another attack in the corner of her eye. Seeing an oppourtunity, she let the blast go wide, curving it around.

She regained control just as the fire ball careened into her brother's right eye. Zuko let out a scream of pain and fell to his knees. Azula was frozen in fear as she saw her brother go down. Caustiously, she approached him, her steps weak. "Zuko… I-" she said meekly.

The Firenation prince sprang to life, roaring with uncontrollable rage. He jumped up and unleashed a terrible blast. The fire seemed to come at Azula in slow motion, and yet, she could barely move. She only just managed to bring her hand up in a flinch as the fire enveloped it.

Now Azula fell to the ground in a scream. But, when she fell Zuko only continued his attack. It was all the young girl could do to deflect the attacks with her remaining hand. She stumbled onto her feet and tried to run, but was tripped by a blast from Zuko.

He charged her, leaping into the air and coming down to crush her. She rolled out of the way at the last moment, jumping up and kicking at him desparately.

He deflected the blow with ease, then retaliated with a punch to her chest. The attack lifted Azula from the ground and she fell hard, knocking the wind out of her.

On the sidelines, Iroh watched with fear and concern beside his brother Ozai. He turned to his brother with in anger. "Ozai, that's enough, she's lost the fight. Call him off." He said, his emotions hardening his voice in a way that they hadn't for years.

The Firelord didn't reply, he didn't agnoledge his brother in any way. His eyes were full of madness belied by the smile that was forming on his lips. A quiet chuckle whispered its way out of him.

Zuko stalked toward the writhing Firenation Princess as she cried on the ground. He bent down and grabbed hold of her neck, lifting her into the air with both of his arms. As tears streaked down his sister's face, he began to squeeze.

Iroh turned to his brother again as the audience gasped. He frowned in disgust at Zhao and several others' faces of anticipation and eagerness. It seemed that the only two people who were concerned besides himself were Azula's young friends, Mai and Ty Lee. "Ozai, He'll kill her, END THIS!!!" He nigh on shouted to his brother.

The Firelord broke into a mad laughter, his chest heaving in a way reminiscent of a mad man's convulsions. Unable to take any more, Iroh leaped down from his place and into the Arena. He shot out a blast between the two siblings. Zuko let go of his sister and jumped back. Azula fell bodily to the floor.

"This fight is over, Zuko. You've won." He said to the enraged prince. Then to the audience, and filling the entire arena with his voice, "THE BATTLE IS OVER, ZUKO IS THE WINNER. GO HOME, ALL OF YOU!!!!" Some in the audience grew enraged at the interruption of their fun. Iroh's rage boiled over, and he let it fill him for a brief moment. "NOW!!!" He shouted, accentuating the command with a breath of fire that reminded all why he was called the 'dragon of the west'.

Slowly, they began to filter out. Iroh glared at his brother, who's face was filled with disappointment and anger. _I don't know what you did to my Zuko, but I will find out. And I will reverse it if possible. Mark well, brother, I will correct this._

A little girl ran up to him, and he saw that it was Ty Lee.

"I- I know a little bit of first aid and healing, a-and I might be able t-" she began.

"Go help your friend, she needs it."

Ty Lee ran past him and went to Azula. He noted with relief that the girl responded with a groan when Ty Lee tried to touch her. Then he watched his nephew as he stalked by.

He was taken aback. Not by the anger, wich he had fully expected, but by the scar on his nephew's face. From his right eye, all the way to his ear, was nothing but burned and charred flesh. The fact that the boy still stood was a testament to the rage that was inside him.

Iroh looked on with sadness as the boy walked up to his father and they both left the arena together. When the arena was nearly cleared, he went over to his niece and her friend.

"She's not bad. Bruised, but nothing's broken." The young girl said. Then she lifted the Princess' arm. "But this is terrible. I don't know if she'll ever be able to use it again."

The burn went all the way to past her wrist, and made the hand look skeletal. He looked to his nieces face, thanking Agni that she had passed out, the pain would be unbearable otherwise. _Don't worry, my niece. I'm going to fix this._

* * *

The door opened and Ty Lee stepped in. "It's time."

Azula nodded to her friend, then stood. She let her friend wrap her chest and hand. As they stepped out of the door, Iroh was waiting for them. They walked in silence to the Arena. It was empty, save for Zhao and his second.

Azula sighed and started to step out. Ty Lee caught her hand and turned her friend to her. "Be careful." She said.

Azula merely nodded, then went out to face Zhao.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry again for leaving you guys here. But I have a bit of a policy for one fight per chapter after the piss poor ending to chapter 2. Enjoy, review, etc._


	6. Chapter 5

_DISCLAIMER: Great spirits of Creativity and Imagination._

_Let me write these words freely and with meaning._

_Let them be heard by many and enjoyed by all._

_Let it be known that the legends within are _

_of your creation alone and no one elses,_

_and that only these petty words belong to me._

_I am but a tool, a messanger,_

_one who takes inspiration from your works._

_And to you, the reader, the listener, the watcher._

_Thank those who created this, and to _them_ give the credit of this work._

Invoking the Muses~ Stephen Norton (I.E. Me, vp21ct)

_A/N: Sorry this one has taken so long. I try to put as much reaserch into my work as the Original creators did in theirs, and that is part of the source for the delay (the other part being general lazyness). I would just like to say that it is quite hard to write about martial arts without actually knowing much about them yourself. I'm more of a gun-guy myself, and took only a few lessons in Tai-Kwan-Do, at a young age, so I have very little to go on for this next fight sequence. That said, I hope some of my research shows, and that the wait was worth it._

_Sit back._

_Enjoy the show._

Last time, on Sands of Destiny

. . .

"Is that a challenge?"

"This evening, in the ceremonial arena. An Agni Kai."

. . .

"Azula, Do you know what you are doing. Have you forgotten your last duel with a Master."

"I'll never forget."

. . .

"Be careful."

* * *

Azula kneeled at her end of the arena, taking measured breaths as she waited. Her chest felt tight from her _sarashi_, and it made breathing harder. A chill ran down her spine as a breeze came in from the harbor, carrying with it the cold of the ocean.

In her head, she counted the seconds. Finally, the time had come. She stood, the ceremonial shawl falling from her shoulders. As she turned to face her enemy, she felt a twinge of fear at Zhao's well muscled frame.

_Remember, Azula. Firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. Keep your breath right, and his muscles will be useless._

Not waiting for Zhao to even get into a fighting stance, Azula let loose her first blast. Zhao deflected it easily, stepping into a fighting stance and answering with a blast of his own. So began the _Agni-Kai_, each deflecting the other's blow, then stepping forth with a blast of fire. They slowly grew closer and closer.

Azula deflected another blast, then jumped back as a second came in right behind it. She deflected that one with her right hand, absorbing some of the fire and loosing it in an exhale. She let loose her own one two blast, but as the fire leaped from her right hand, she could feel the muscles begin to groan in protest.

_I can't keep this up. My body just won't let me. If I show any weakness, any favor for my right hand, he'll exploit it._

The fight began to ramp up. Blasts came with more fury. Azula had to slice her hands at a particularly large fireball, being forced back by its power. Zhao let loose another, and another, each as large as the last.

He had Azula on the defensive now.

Azula's attacks grew further and further apart, weaker, less aimed, more desperate. She fell back, dodging blows as much as she was deflecting them. Her face was becoming marred by panic as the attacks continued to come in without mercy.

On the sidelines, Iroh and Ty Lee could only look on in worry as Azula's attacks degenerated into a scramble to survive. Ty Lee covered her face as a large fireball nearly enveloped her friend, and Iroh hissed as Azula grimaced in anguish as she let fly another blast from her bandaged hand. It was apparent to both of them that Azula was losing this fight.

"Azula, Remember your training. Break his brute!" Iroh shouted to his niece.

_Break his root, easier said than._ Azula blinked in realization, _Uncle didn't say break his root, he said break his _brute_. Beat his brute streangth._

She let out another blast, then feinted to the side, loosing another. As Zhao blocked that one, she ran in behind it, punching out with her fist in a point blank attack. The Firenation Commander ducked in reflex, but as he tried to strike the girl, she dodged out of the way, using her greater flexibility to her advantage.

Instantly the fight took on a different tempo. Now they were dodging short, quick bursts. Ducking heads, blocking kicks. Azula punched out her palm in a quick blast, but her hand was deflected with Zhao's forearm.

Reversing the action quickly, Azula feinted in with her right hand, then aimed for Zhao's center with her left. The older man twisted aside an knocked the blow just wide enough, then brought his hand around for a closed fisted punch.

Azula knew she had over extended herself. She brough her right hand up to block, gritting her teach against the coming pain.

Fire wreathed her hand and she fell back, screaming in pain. Her bandages had been burned off, and fire had licked at flesh that was all too familiar with it's kiss. She fell to the ground clutching her burned hand, tears of agony running down her cheeks.

Iroh winced in sympathy, Ty Lee gasped. It was happening again, as it had two years ago. Iroh readied himself to intervene.

Zhao smiled as he loomed over the stricken girl. "That seems to be a comfortable position for you, Azula. Why you don't just stay there is beyond me." He said snidely.

Azula's expression instantly changed from one of anguish to one of satisfaction. She spun in place, wind-milling her feet around in a kick that took Zhao's out feet out from under him. In the same movement, she brought her own feet back underneath her and stood above her enemy in a ready, and stable, stance.

Zhao's eyes were filled with terror as she looked down on him. She felt a rush come over her, a euphoric fealing at holding this pathetic man's life in her hands. The downed Firenation officer flinched away as the princess punched at him. Fire surged past just past his head, scorching the ground beside him.

It was the action of declaring victory through mercy.

Zhao looked around him, stunned at the princesses mercy. She could see the question in his eyes.

"You're not worth the effort." She said as she turned away from him.

Rage boiled up inside of Zhao. His fear turned to anger, and he leaped up after the girl, his hands reaching for her throat.

Azula spun and punched Zhao in the gut. The Firenation officer dropped to the ground, the wind completely knocked out of him. Iroh and Ty Lee ran up, then stopped as Azula bent down to come face to face with the kneeling Zhao.

"I just spared your life, against my better judgement. Don't make me rescind that decision." Her voice was as cold and hard as steal. Even Iroh and Ty Lee felt a chill run down their spine as Azula stood and walked past them. "Let's go."

"It would seem that even in her exile, my niece has more strength than you, Zhao. Thank you for the tea, it was delicious." Iroh said, then turned and followed his niece.

As they walked out of the arena, Azula let out her tension in a smile then turned to her uncle. "Thanks for what you said back there, I really needed that."

"There is no need to thank me, my niece. You know that Jasmine is my favorite."

Azula smirked, she had expected her uncle to say that. As they neared the exit, the Captain of her ship came into view. "Princess Azula, the ship is repaired and rearmed, we're ready to heave-off at your command."

"Good," She replied. "Let's get out of here."


End file.
